The University of Alabama took the extraordinary step of using helicopters to dry the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium ahead of the No. 1-ranked Crimson Tide’s home game against in-state rival Auburn on Saturday.
On Saturday morning, athletic director Greg Byrne tweeted a photo of the so-called “drying” process, which included two different helicopters flying into the stadium and hovering above the grass surface.
Blow drying the field. #RollTide pic.twitter.com/byrLBNjhDw
— Greg Byrne (@Greg_Byrne) November 24, 2018
The field in Tuscaloosa was in rough shape just a week earlier when Alabama hosted The Citadel, causing several players to lose footing and slip. On Wednesday, coach Nick Saban said there was a plan in place to improve the conditions.
It rained across much of central Alabama on Friday night, soaking the field further.
“I’m sure they’ll do everything they can,” Saban said. “But I also think that players have to learn how to play on those conditions. I played on a lot worse fields than that.”
Alabama survived that game against The Citadel. After being tied at halftime, the Tide pulled away and won 50-17.
A win against Auburn on Saturday would give Alabama an undefeated regular season. The following weekend, it will face Georgia in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium — a dome — is plenty familiar to both teams. Just last January they played for the College Football Playoff National Championship with Alabama winning in overtime on a pass from Tua Tagovailoa to DeVonta Smith.